Big Nate flips out

In his latest outing, world-class slob Nate Wright alienates best buddy Francis by publicly revealing his middle name ( Butthurst ), responds to a posthypnotic suggestion by becoming an eerily obsessive neat freak, and loses a borrowed camera. The largely visual narrative is composed of pen-and-ink cartoon panels and comics pages that are linked by short passages of present-tense commentary and stocked with sound effects and coded messages. Peirce tidily resolves all three crises while leaving his Wimpy Kid alternate on top in the wake of a closely fought school Trivia Slam. Yuks galore, with a large, ready-made audience.--Peters, John Copyright 2010 Booklist

Nate's best friend Francis thinks he's a slob, so Nate undergoes hypnosis to become neater. This humorous character shift combines with a mystery (who stole the school's yearbook camera?), Nate's first encounter with a bully, a trivia slam, and lots of amusing cartoons, making for an entertaining fifth series entry. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.